Writing #6: Judges/Prophets/Romans

I’m sorry if you were looking and did not find anything here yesterday. I got busy and ran out of time (mostly I wanted to watch a baseball game ; ) ). I hope I did not let you down. As of right now, 11:25 PM, Friday, October 7, 2005, I have finished 20 of the 66 books of the Bible in less than a week of reading. Of course, as you might expect, I put all other reading projects on hold. I don’t look at this as a race to the finish. It is a baptism of sorts. That is, a baptism of complete immersion. It is about feeding my mind, my heart, and my hands and feet with the Word of God and allowing my stillness to be animated by His will. "Every move I make, I make in you Lord Jesus. You move me Lord Jesus. Every breath I breathe I breathe in you, Lord Jesus" (David Crowder Band, The Lime CD.)

This morning I played a short 9 holes of golf with a friend of mine. It was cold. It was rainy. It was windy. I had no business playing golf in that sort of weather. On the other hand I had not business sitting around this afternoon and rotting my mind either. Tonight we shared dinner with some friends. Great company!

As you can see I have titled today’s writing with three different books. These are books (prophets = several minor prophets) that I have read over the past two days. I have nothing profound to remark about concerning these readings except to note this one thing that stands out in particular: All of the books are remarkably consistent when it comes to the way the Righteous God of Scripture will deal with sin. Romans is quite clear that the sinners have no part of God and they have been righteously judged for their sin. Romans also makes it quite clear that even though no one is guiltless when it comes to sin all have equal opportunity for salvation from sin and its power through Jesus Messiah. Romans is a very personal look at sin: Who will save me from this wretched body? Paul asks at one point. But if he is confident in the complete and utter failure of the flesh he is also remarkably hopeful and optimistic about the future: Nothing can separate us from the Love of God that is in Christ Jesus.

When the prophets speak about sin they are blistering. Zephaniah would never make it as a preacher or a writer in today’s world. He comes on the scene to proclaim his message and the first thing he says is this: "‘I will sweep away everything from the face of the earth,’ declares the Lord." First of all he did not preach a happy message that made people feel good about themselves and second he dared to declare that his message came from God. No one is interested in ‘thus sayeth the Lord’ anymore. He makes clear the reason for God’s anger: Baal worship, idolotrous priests, worship of the starry host, oppression, rebellion, disobedience…and so on, and so forth. However, if God’s declaration through Zephaniah is that the world will be wiped out and the inhabitants therein, he also reminds us that some will be saved, "Then I will purify the lips of the peoples that all of them may call on the name of the Lord and serve him shoulder to shoulder…The remnant of Israel will trust in the Name of the Lord."

Then there is the book of the Judges. This has to be one of the most complicated and disatisfying stories I have ever read. It is full of violence, murder, blood, greed, immorality and unfaithfulness. It is not a pleasure to read this book at all. The book does not even end on a positive note: "In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit." Even those who are meant to be the Judges, the Leaders, in the book are among some of the most ruthless, double-minded, underhanded scoundrels in any book of literature known to me. The entire book follows a cycle: Israel sins, they are oppressed by another nation, God raises up a Judge who delivers them, there is peace for a period of time, Israel sins… Chapter 19 is scathing and graphic and when I read it I am reminded of a certain community of people not too affectionately referred to as a sort of ancient twin-cities, namely, Sodom and Gommorah. That’s what Israel became ‘in the days Israel had no king.’ Eventually the nation erupts into civil war. And why? "But you have forsaken me and served other gods, so I will no longer save you. Go and cry out to the gods you have chosen. Let them save you when you are in trouble!" But if Israel suffered for their sin we are also reminded that God is merciful, "And God could bear Israel’s misery no longer." Another Judge was raised up.

Sin we learn is prevalent: He will destroy the entire world. Sin is complete: All are guilty, Jew and Gentile. Sin is predictable: Note the Judges cycle. Sin is vile: Again see judges. Sin needs controls: Israel had no king—even God’s presence had no lasting, permanent effect on the Israelites. But if the Bible goes out of its way through preachers, prophets, apostles and ancient scribes to show us how miserable sin makes the human experience it also goes out of its way to show us the glorious inheritance that is promised for those who are found in Christ. In Judges God always raised up a deliverer. In the prophets we frequently glimpse the Promise: "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are of old, from ancient times" (Micah 5:2). And in Romans, and indeed all the New Testament epistles, we are flat out told that the Deliverer, the Ruler, the Judge, the Savior is None other than Jesus Messiah.

My point is that the Bible is remarkably consistent. Sin is a problem not just for our generation but for every generation. It is not an American cultural phenomenon, it is a world, flesh phenomenon. But the Bible never skirts the issue or brushes it under the rug; the Bible deals with sin head on in a major confrontation between the Prophets and Preachers and Apostles and the liars, thieves, and false prophets. The good news is that sin loses in the end. The better news is that Jesus gives us hope for salvation from sin. The best News is that sin will be finally and forever eradicated. Some day righteousness will rule and the dwelling of men will be with God.

Jerry

PS--I am sorry...well you know. My spell checker does not work. And the Blog spell checker does wierd things to my posts--like messing with my formats, etc.